Messages - atmavichar100

PRACTICAL WISDOMD.: Can advaita be realized by japa of holy names; say Rama, Krishna, etc.?M.: Yes.D.: Is it not a means of an inferior order?M.: Have you been told to make japa or to discuss its order in the scheme of things?- Talk 55

CONVERSATIONS WITH ANNAMALAI SWAMIQ: When I keep the mind on this feeling of 'I am', must I be relaxed and quiet? Should I see what is happening, without interfering, or should I be observing, scrutinizing, comparing, etc. ?AS: It is enough if you can simply relax in this 'I am?. Whatever happens in this 'I am?, this consciousness, just be indifferent to it.You are the consciousness itself, not the thoughts and ideas that appear in it. Many things both good and bad are going on in this world. We don't bother about most of them because we think, ?these things are happening to somebody else and not to me?.In the same way, be the consciousness 'I am' and be indifferent to the various things that come and go in your mind. If you identify with thoughts, judge them, compare them, worry about them, try to suppress them, or get involved with them in any way, they will cause you trouble. Instead, be utterly indifferent to them. If you don't pay them any attention, they can never adversely affect you.Living by the Words of Bhagavan

With regard to whether Sadhana is needed or not ,I think the following quote of Papaji answers it i.e when the mind is not prepared ,Self Knowledge will not take place

Papaji himself says to David Godman, in Nothing Ever Happened (vol. 3, p. 359):"The power of the Self cannot work on an unreceptive mind.... Rain cannot make crops grow in a barren land.... If the mind is not free from all vasanas [selfish tendencies of desire, etc.], it will always reassert itself later.... If one who is not free from vasanas is pushed into having a direct experience [of the Self], that experience will not stay. The mind of such a person will eventually come back with all its former force."

He that has earned the Grace of the Gurushall undoubtedly be saved and never forsaken,just as the prey that has fallen into the tiger?s jawswill never be allowed to escape.But the disciple, for his part,should unswervingly follow the path shown by the Master.

"Learn as much as possible in your youth!"=================================

?This whole world is one big family whose parents are Parvathi and Parameswara. The first verse of Kalidasa?s Raghuvamsam portrays this truth. The teachers and you are living like a small family. As children you have to learn as much as possible in your youth.

There are two aspects to learning: one is devotion to the guru and the other is morality and personal discipline. Students should avoid getting angry and not criticize anyone or anybody. Just like we maintain a diet while taking medication, while obtaining education, refrain from talking about freedom or disobeying the instructions of elders.Guru Bhakti, moral righteousness and humility are essential for a student. Children who are humble in their youth will rise high later in their life.

Devotion to mother, father and guru (matrubhakthi, pitru bhakthi and guru bhakthi) are all key for you. You should strive to remove the ego that destroys. Avvaiyar has said that mother and father are the primary gods. The Vedas also say the same thing.

When you are studying, do not interfere in worldly activities. You might ask, ?Isn?t it necessary to do service for the well being of the world?? It is definitely necessary to do service. However, first obtain all the knowledge needed in this world to do the service. You have to think that your studying is your contribution to the world and involve yourself in it completely.?

*****The above is a summary of Kanchi Maha Swamigal?s lecture on December 18th, 1932 to the students at Hindu Theological High School situated on Thangasalai Road, Chennai.

One more incident illustrating the power of following the teachings of the Guru v/s worshipping the form of the Guru from an incident in Kanchi Paramacharya's Life :

I can recollect one incident of Kanchi Mahaswamigal who during his Yatras was camping at a particular town and one of his close devotees wanted to be with him all the time and stay with him close by and that devotee felt that if he did that then he may have to forgo his daily nityakarmas ( like Sandhya Vandanam , Gayathri Japa etc ) and Kanchi Paramacharya always insisted his devotees to do one's Nitya Karmas without fail even if they are sick . So he stuck to doing the Nitya Karmas eventhough he was upset that he could not have darshan of Kanchi Mahaswamigal . But one day after finishing the evening Nitya Karmas he came out of his house and was surprised to see Kanchi Mahaswamigal standing in front of his house and he could not believe his eyes and before he could explain , Paramacharya himself said people take strain to meet him but in doing so they forgo their Nitya Karmas and people who sincerely follow his teachings ( i.e doing Nitya Karmas ) he would himself give the darshan wherever they are .

The last few deays I have been re-reading the teachings of Sringeri Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati Mahaswamigal and he keeps on hitting at this point regularly i.e if one keep's following one's Nitya Karmas sincerely , then God will himself life that person to the next level and let there be no doubt in this .

Once, Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati Swami had camped in Bangalore Sankara Mutt. The Acharya discoursed every day. On the day of His departure a devotee began to shed profuse tears even as he received the ?mantrakshada? from the Acharya.

Sri Acharya asked him the reason behind his tears and the devotee explained that it was due to his inability to bear the separation from the Acharya. He explained that the very thought that from the morrow he would not be able to see or listen to his Guru caused him grief; and, that he wondered if he (the devotee) would be alive to have the good fortune of having the Acharya?s darshan during his next visit. On hearing this, the Acharya asked, ?Who is that Guru who gave you darshan daily and gave ?upadesh???

And, said, ?If, even after listening to me you grieve thus it only shows that my ?upadesh? and your hearing them have both been in vain. To restrict the Guru to this physical body made up of the five elements is verily ignorance. The term ?Guru? refers to a very high philosophy. It is beyond time and space and is the acting force behind our buddhi. If only you would understand the Guru tattva in the right perspective, your mind will not grieve. And you would have realized the truth that your Guru is ever with you, inseparable from you. There is no separation at all. Realize this now and do not grieve.?

CONVERSATIONS WITH ANNAMALAI SWAMIThe vasanas arise because of the habits and practices of previous lifetimes. That is why they differ from jnani to jnani.When vasanas rise in ordinary people who still identify with the body and the mind, they cause likes and dislikes. Some vasanas are embraced wholeheartedly while others are rejected as being undesirable. These likes and dislikes generate desires and fears which in turn produce more karma. While you are still making judgements about what is good and what is bad, you are identifying with the mind and making new karma for yourself. When new karma has been created like this, it means that you have to take another birth to enjoy it.The jnani's body carries out all the acts which are destined for it. But because the jnani makes no judgment about what is good or bad, and because he has no likes and dislikes, he is not creating any new karma for himself. Because he knows that he is not the body, he can witness all its activities without getting involved in them in any way.There will be no rebirth for the jnani because once the mind has been destroyed there is no possibility of any new karma being created.Living by the Words of Bhagavan

CONVERSATIONS WITH ANNAMALAI SWAMIQ: Bhagavan often told devotees to 'Be still'. Did he mean ?Be mentally still'?AS: Bhagavan's famous instruction ?summa iru' [be still] is often misunderstood. It does not mean that you should be physically still; it means that you should always abide in the Self.If there is too much physical stillness, tamoguna [a state of mental torpor] arises and predominates. In that state you will feel very sleepy and mentally dull. Rajoguna [a state of excessive mental activity], on the other hand, produces emotions and a mind which is restless.In sattva guna [a state of mental quietness and clarity] there is stillness and harmony. If mental activity is necessary while one is in sattva guna it takes place. But for the rest of the time there is stillness. When tamoguna and rajoguna predominate, the Self cannot be felt. If sattvaguna predominates one experiences bliss, clarity and an absence of wandering thoughts. That is the stillness that Bhagavan was prescribing.

From: ~~~ The Mountain Path, June 1993.Annamalai Swami:Mind is only a collection of thoughts and the thinker who thinks them.The thinker is the 'I'-thought,the primal thought which rises from the Self before all others and says,'I am this body'.When you have eradicated all thoughts except for the thinker himself by ceaseless enquiry or by refusing to give them any attention, the 'I'-thought sinks into the Heart and surrenders, leaving behind it only an awareness of consciousness.This surrender will only take place when the 'I'-thought has ceased to identify with rising thoughts.While there are still stray thoughts which attract you or evade your attention,the 'I'-thought will always be directing its attention outwards rather than inwards.The purpose of self-enquiry is to make the 'I'-thought move inwards,towards the Self.This will happen automatically as soon as youcease to be interested in any of your thoughts.

Bhagavan Ramana had used some of the Thirukurals while giving advice to his close devotees . Those who are aware of them kindly share the respective Thirukurals and also the context in which Bhagavan Ramana used them .

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